Food Processing

As the global flow of raw materials and packaged goods increases, the benefits and needs of visibility to the food supply chain are crystallizing.

The reception in some quarters was less than enthusiastic when a report comparing food traceability regulations in 20 nations was released.
Written by the Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC), the report weighed factors such as mandatory…

Food Safety

Retailers are trying to offer more affordable healthy food options through the introduction of store brands.

Year after year across the U.S., private label’s growth continues to outpace national brands. According to Private Label Foods & Beverages in the U.S., 8th Edition, a recent report by market research firm Packaged Facts, private label…

Packaging

A reader would like to now how to prevent vendors from sharing plant-specific machine modifications with competitors.

A reader asks...
We have equipment we have modified over the years to improve efficiency and cut repair costs. Because some of it is under warranty, the suppliers often are in our plant to perform scheduled maintenance. What is the best way to prevent our improvements from being given to our competitors while not alienating our vendors?
Our expert responds...
You should be applauded for making modifications that move the operation forward. I would think many of the modifications are on pieces of equipment that are out of warranty. If it is under warranty, the vendor would still be liable, provided you required a performance guarantee. First, you can require a confidentiality agreement with the vendor and stipulate that any equipment…

Whether refrigerated or ambient, food handling facilities steadily are improving their efficiency profiles. Forklift systems are a case in point.

Less air and a higher cube are the changes that immediately come to Pete Rolandelli’s mind when contrasting his new grocery distribution center (DC) with the one it replaced in Elizabeth, N.J.
As vice president-logistics and warehousing at…

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

Whether refrigerated or ambient, food handling facilities steadily are improving their efficiency profiles. Forklift systems are a case in point.

Less air and a higher cube are the changes that immediately come to Pete Rolandelli’s mind when contrasting his new grocery distribution center (DC) with the one it replaced in Elizabeth, N.J.
As vice president-logistics and warehousing at…

As the global flow of raw materials and packaged goods increases, the benefits and needs of visibility to the food supply chain are crystallizing.

The reception in some quarters was less than enthusiastic when a report comparing food traceability regulations in 20 nations was released.
Written by the Global Food Traceability Center (GFTC), the report weighed factors such as mandatory…

Recent

Our list of the most read 'what is' ingredient articles in 2015.

There have been numerous reports lately about the ills of processed food. Emulsifiers took the biggest hit in late February after a report in Nature revealed that two widely-used dietary emulsifiers had impacted the gut microbiota in mice. Your average consumer might remember an emulsifier as that thing that makes other stuff stick together. As a food manufacturer, you know better than that. But what else are people trying to learn more about?
See our list of what informative ingredient articles rendered the most traffic. In the last several months:
Is Algae DHA As Healthy as Fish Oil DHA?
Understanding Polydextrose and How It Works
Understanding Monk Fruit: The Next Generation Natural Sweetener
Refuting Myths About Carrageenan…

Food Processing is now accepting nominations for its 2015 R&D Teams of the Year award.

Do you think you have a great product development team, one worthy of a story? Nominate your favorite team by telling us in the fields below who they are and why they're deserving of the honor.
We'll put the essays of two or three teams in each category against each other this Spring. The most votes in our website wins.
The winners will be profiled in our June issue.
Nominate your favorite R&D Team below.

R&D

The natural link between food and fitness has stimulated a mountain of sports nutrition research and launched countless products marketed to fitness-minded consumers.

The research into nutrition and fitness is now so extensive, every five years the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) publishes in its journal a review of studies on the topic. Subjects range from the effects of dietary supplements and…

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

Add flavors and functionality to your formulations with this month's ingredient round-up.

Roasted corn products
Save time with organic IQF Roasted Corn. From salsas to corn chowder, corn adds flavor, texture and color to foods. The company’s roasted corn product is said to handle and store better than raw corn and lend a distinct,…

Recent

Our March 2015 new product rollout offers morsels of sweet, salty, and scrumptious that consumers will love.

Food and beverage manufacturers have been busy producing little slices of deliciousness for hungry consumers. From exotic flavors to sweet-tooth savers, this month's product rollout features an array of new products.
Tomato Ketchup Heats Up with Sriracha
Today’s evolving taste buds crave new flavors, which is why Heinz is getting hot with Heinz Ketchup Blended with Sriracha Flavor.
>>Learn more about this product
Cheetos Sweetos Gives A Cheesy Tradition a Sweet Side
Cheetos Sweetos replaces the signature Cheetos cheese flavor with cinnamon sugar.
>>Learn more about this product
Triple-Layered Yogurt Contains Three Layers of Decadence
Stonyfield's newest yogurt contains three layers of goodness: cream, honey sweetened whole…

Relevant

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

And the currently little niches that some day could be selling tons of your product.

I was talking to some retail executives recently and the conversation became focused on competition. It was not surprising that everyone was very concerned about the big guys that were taking their customers and their sales. What surprised me about the conversation was they seemed rather uninterested in the little guys that were taking their customers and sales.
Now I understand that when someone is beating you over the head with a bat, you may be more interested in the guy beating you than the guy standing in line waiting for his turn. On the other hand, I believe that a prudent food retailer should recognize that 100 small competitors can be just as troublesome as one large competitor.
So the discussion focused on who are all these small…

New Food Products (Database)

The National Association for Female Executives awarded the food processor as one of the Top 50 Companies for Executive Women.

Kellogg has been named one of the Top 50 Companies for Executive Women by the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE).
NAFE operates one of the largest associations for women professionals. The annual list is compiled by NAFE after a thorough review of several factors, including the number of women in each company, and corporate programs and policies dedicated to advancing women.
According to a release, Kellogg Co. includes four women on its board of directors, or 38 percent, and eight women holding spots on the company's Global Leadership Team. This is the second consecutive year Kellogg has been named to the list and the fourth time receiving the recognition since 2009.
Read the full release on Kellogg Co.'s…

Business

The Director of Millennial Engagement will discuss how companies can really listen to their customers during his address on April 28.

The team responsible for bringing the first annual Food Leaders Summit to life recently announced its keynote speaker. Vance Crowe, Director of Millennial Engagement with Monsanto Company, will be speaking to conference attendees about how to have a real, honest conversation with the public about food.
The keynote address, Facing the Restless Generation: Finding what it takes to connect with Millennials, will occur on the first full day of the event, April 28,
According to the Food Leaders Summit website, Crowe will define who the Millennials are in broad but relatable terms, and then describe how Monsanto, a company with low credibility among parts of this generation, is adapting to listen, understand, and address the questions of a…

First outsider to head family-run processor/supplier.

Darifair Foods Inc., a Jacksonville, Fla., food manufacturer with emphasis on foodservice accounts, in January named Midd McManus as president, the first non-family member named to that position.
The company says he is an experienced leader in operations, sales and supply chain in the food industry, and most recently was executive vice president at Sun Orchard, leading their efforts in the foodservice beverage category.
Prior to that, McManus held positions within Morningstar Foods, a subsidiary of Dean Foods, including national director of supply chain, senior director of sales operations, vice president and general manager of foodservice and retail channels, and vice president of away-from-home national account sales.
Darifair Foods…

Recent

A nation-wide check-off program, from farmers to processors, will take the organic market to the next level.

America’s certified organic stakeholders are now considering the most critical and potentially transformative issue for the organic industry since the discussions more than 20 years ago to develop national guidelines and regulations for the then…

Power Lunch

Or at least infiltrate their ranks with some intel from the Food Leaders Summit in April.

I’m a little teary-eyed to be making this admission. It appears I’ll be stepping down, along with 75 million others, as the largest generation the U.S. has ever seen.
Pew Research Center released a report in January that those pesky millennials will surpass us baby boomers in numbers some time this year. Those born 1981-1997 number about 75 million. With a few untimely deaths, baby boomers (born 1946-1964) soon will slip under 75 million.
So much marketing and consumer research, much of it in the food and beverage industry, has focused on us for decades. Tom Brokaw was just being modest when he called our parents “The Greatest Generation.” OK, living through the Great Depression and two world wars is reasonably impressive, but what…

What I've learned about this next generation of food and beverage marketers.

My fall semester is over and I've had a chance to review what the new generation of food marketing job seekers will look like. I'm trying to be as objective as possible, as I clearly remember my father saying that our nation would fall apart when…

Careers

Processors are up against four very big and very real consumer-related issues in 2015.

Looking both forward and backward from the vantage point of New Year's Eve, 2014 may well be remembered as the calm before the storms of 2015. Several big issues loom for the food and beverage industry. All of them went begging for solution in the…

Industry Outlook

With the worst of the Great Recession behind them, food production professionals entered the New Year with fewer questions and more answers about their companies’ and personal paths forward.

Greater confidence and certainty about the future -- for both their own and their organizations’ prospects -- characterizes food professionals’ attitudes as they look forward to 2015, according to feedback from Food Processing’s 14th Annual…

Manufacturing Trends

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

Ingredient Trends

Plant-based foods win, sugar and meat lose and eggs and coffee are OK again in recommendations to government agencies.

As has been expected, committee recommendations for the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans will set off contentious debate over their warnings about meat and added sugars, their recommendations that eggs and coffee are OK and that the environmental impact of food should be considered when choosing foods.
Plant-based foods, then, scored high on two counts -- for general health and for environmental impact – when the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) on Feb. 19 made public its nonbinding recommendations to the USDA and Dept. of Health and Human Services (which includes the FDA), which will together write the final Dietary Guidelines by the end of this year.
"The overall body of evidence examined by the 2015 DGAC identifies…

R&D Trends

Small brewers are among the leaders in our annual look at construction, which foresees a 15 percent increase.

Packaged bacon and other value-added production is driving annual revenue growth of 3-4 percent at Tyson Foods. Pork and chicken consumption are climbing, but demand for beef is falling as prices rise, putting a chill on capital investments.
The investment community’s attitude toward food and beverage processing is, at best, cool.
Solid but stolid sums up the Street’s view of publicly traded food companies. Sure, many food corporations are consistently profitable and deliver products indispensable to human life, but they lack the sizzle investors love.
In its most recent ratings on 97 industries, Value Line investment survey placed the food industry in the bottom quartile of buy recommendations, ahead of metal fabrication and…

Capital Spending

This year's list of the top food and beverage companies has been altered mostly by domestic buying.

Whereas 2013 saw several U.S. firms undertake acquisitions across the globe – and one mega deal that made a U.S. firm owned by the Chinese – part of last year and the first half of 2014 seem to be playing out as a time of renewed interest in…

Top 100 for 2013

This year's list of the top food and beverage companies has been altered mostly by domestic buying.

Whereas 2013 saw several U.S. firms undertake acquisitions across the globe – and one mega deal that made a U.S. firm owned by the Chinese – part of last year and the first half of 2014 seem to be playing out as a time of renewed interest in…

Top 100 for 2012

With 322 total mergers and acquisitions recorded in 2010, the food and beverage industry is seeing the highest M&A figure since 2008, and about even with the 2005 figure.

The year 2010 began and ended with blockbuster deals.
Kraft Foods Inc. engineered the two biggest mergers and acquisitions of 2010: acquiring Cadbury Plc (in a drama that played out through most of 2009), then helping to pay for that $19.4 billion purchase by selling its pizza business to Nestle SA for $3.7 billion. Both those sales closed in January of 2010.
February saw suddenly acquisitive Diamond Foods get chip maker Kettle Foods, and Sunsweet acquire Herbal Water, maker of Ayala’s Herbal Water.
Last summer, Snyder’s of Hanover Inc. merged with Lance Inc. Seneca Foods Corp. bought Unilink LLC and Lebanon Valley Cold Storage LP, both makers of frozen fruits and vegetables.
In the fall, Ralcorp Holdings bought American Italian Pasta…

Top 100 for 2010

The Food Processing Top 100 list of food and beverage manufacturers is now available in an interactive format.

Starting this year, the Food Processing Top 100 list of food and beverage manufacturers will be available as an interactive, fully-sortable grid on http://www.foodprocessing.com/top100.
All 100 company names, rankings, food sales and company sales will be sortable in ascending or descending order. The sorting function is controlled by clicking the up or down arrow as shown in the image below.
Another added benefit to the interactive list is the introduction of individual profiles for each of the top 100 companies. Each profile contains information such as address, websites, brands or products, executives and much more. You can access the individual company profiles by clicking on the company name in the grid.

Top 100 for 2009

The 2008 top 100 food and beverage processing companies in the U.S. and Canada are profiled in this annual feature. Find company contact information, major brands, key executives and main product areas.

Top 100 for 2008

The 2007 top 100 food and beverage processing companies in the U.S. and Canada are profiled in this annual feature. Find company contact information, major brands, key executives and main product areas.

Unilever's World Menu Report Asks: What's in your food?

Seventy percent of U.S. diners say they want more information about the sourcing and nutritional value of their meals when dining out, and nearly two-thirds (64 percent) agree they would choose healthier meals if more information was provided, according to Unilever Food Solutions' new World Menu Report, "What's in Your Food?"

Key Findings of the Report

More than two-thirds (67 percent) of U.S. respondents said that food labels, including low fat and calorie content, would be a welcome addition to their menu when dining out.

In non-western countries and developing nations more than 75 percent of respondents said that they would like this type of information added to their menus. The key reason why nutritional information might be important is that it could help people make healthier choices.

In the UK (75 percent), China (80 percent) and Brazil (63 percent), a clear majority of respondents mentioned ‘health' in their answers to why nutritional information would influence their choices.

The global report, which surveyed 3,500 diners in the U.S., United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, Brazil and Turkey who eat out at least once a week, was conducted to measure consumers' attitudes and behaviors toward eating out and focused on health and nutrition.

Highlighting the growing need for the foodservice industry to provide increased transparency for consumers, the top three things people want to know when eating out is the source of the food, how it is prepared and the nutritional value. In China people were most concerned with the safety of the food and whether it was hygienically prepared.

Although an overwhelming majority of U.S. respondents said they want greater transparency about ingredient sourcing and production, preparation details and nutritional content, 83 percent said that information is not currently offered when dining out. However, the report also shows the demand for more information is less pronounced among U.S. diners than their counterparts in non-western and developing nations, where 90 percent or more of respondents said they wanted greater transparency about meal content.

"Globally, consumers' attitudes toward healthy eating are evolving and their desire for delicious food when dining out is constant," said Lisa Carlson, MS, RD, development nutritionist, R&D, Unilever Food Solutions North America.

"Consumers want food that tastes good, but they also want food that is good for them. Because of this, today's chefs have a tremendous opportunity to help consumers eat better by providing healthy, great-tasting menu options, as well as increasing transparency about meal content so that consumers can make informed decisions."

Key findings include: More than two-thirds (67 percent) of U.S. respondents said that food labels, including low fat and calorie content, would be a welcome addition to their menu when dining out. This is slightly less than in non-western countries and developing nations where more than 75 percent of respondents said that they would like this type of information added to their menus. The key reason why nutritional information might be important is that it could help people make healthier choices. In the UK (75 percent), China (80 percent) and Brazil (63 percent), a clear majority of respondents mentioned ‘health' in their answers to why nutritional information would influence their choices.

Across all surveyed countries, fat, calories, preservatives and food additives topped respondents' lists of the nutrients and ingredients they are most interested in knowing more about when dining out. In the U.S. and UK, sodium is also seen as an important topic for information, while in China respondents would like to know more about the vitamins and proteins in their meals.

“Globally, consumers' attitudes toward healthy eating are evolving and their desire for delicious food when dining out is constant.”

– Lisa Carlson, Unilever Food Solutions North America.

Additionally, nearly all respondents surveyed globally said that restaurants should take the lead in ensuring more transparency regarding the content of meals.

"The World Menu Report has highlighted a clear call-to-action for those of us within the food service industry – we need to not only provide consumers with delicious food but also the information they want and need about their meal content," said Steven Jilleba, CMC executive chef, Unilever Food Solutions North America, Lisle, Ill., which is helping facilitate transparency by providing ingredient and nutritional information for all of its products and working closely with chefs and operators to create healthy and tasty meal options.

The company will release findings from the second issue of the World Menu Report, focused on sustainability, later this year.

"This entire brand relaunch is built upon bringing practical tips to operators so they can have better operations and more profitable restaurants," says Channel Marketing Director Ted Skodol. "We're going to help operators create items that are healthy and tasty, control costs, and meet the evolving tastes of consumers."

"There's an important message here for foodservice operators of all types: When you purchase a Unilever product, you're getting consulting behind that product, including insights on nutritional input, marketing, trends, data, and culinary creativity," says Unilever corporate chef David Russell. "It's comprehensive, clear, available, and helpful."

The services are not just for posh establishments. Quick-service venues seeking fresh menu items that capture today's fascination with bold flavors can also find a solution with the help of Unilever's ready-to-use flavor profiles to produce menu offerings that are consistent, systematic, and on trend. Unilever executive chef Gerald Tomlinson, a former executive chef at McDonald's, cites Unilever's newest line of aiolis under the Hellmann's banner as a particularly appealing option.

"Here's an opportunity to take something that's at fine dining and bring it into the quick-service level in an inventive way that respects the time and labor needs of the kitchen," Tomlinson says.

Unilever identified burgeoning consumer interest in the nutritional content of restaurants' menu items in its World Menu Report, and can help with this long-term journey by reducing its products' fats, sugars, and sodium to respond to growing consumer attentiveness. As a result, operators will be better equipped to meet consumer demands for healthy food with savory tastes.

"We want to be a part of the solution and an ally in our operators' quest to win customers," Skodol adds.